Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Return to Huckleberry Hill (The Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill #7) by Jennifer Beckstrand + A GIVEAWAY

About the Book

Book: Return to Huckleberry Hill
Author: Jennifer Beckstrand
Genre: Inspirational Amish Romance
Release Date: May 30, 2017
When it comes to matchmaking, Huckleberry Hill, Wisconsin’s unstoppable octogenarians Anna and Felty Helmuth never seem to run out of opportunities—or grandchildren…Reuben Helmuth is plenty bitter. John King, his best friend—or so he thought—is engaged to the girl Reuben loved. Humiliated, Reuben flees from Ohio to his grandparents’ home on Huckleberry Hill, where he knows he’ll find comfort. He’s enjoying wallowing in his misery—until John’s sister, Fern, shows up. She won’t stop pestering Reuben about forgiveness—or trying to help him find love again. Yet Fern’s efforts only reawaken Reuben’s long-buried feelings—forher…With her brother too ashamed to face Reuben, it’s fallen to Fern to help mend fences. But as she and the Helmuths do all they can—even organizing a knitting club event filled with eligible girls—it may take one more challenge to inspire Reuben to forget his heartache, recognize his own blunders, and embrace the true love that’s right in front of him…

My Review

The romance is very sweet and a delight to read.

This book is full of wonderful characters. Some of them are very peculiar and have some very unusual interests and tastes. Fern King is an absolute sweetheart and I fell in love with this character from the very beginning. She truly wants to get along with everyone and has a marvelous happy and optimistic disposition.

I really like the open and frank lessons about snobbish behavior. A couple of other issues that are presented are pride and the need to forgive others. All of these are very important topics that we all deal with at some point. I think that the author did an incredible job of presenting and exploring them.I loved this book and am highly recommending it. It is getting a 5 star rating from me. Now I need to go back and read the previous books in this series.

About the Author

Jennifer Beckstrand is the award winning Amish romance author of The Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill series and The Honeybee Sisters series for Kensington Books. Jennifer has always been drawn to the strong faith and the enduring family ties of the Plain people and loves writing about the antics of Anna and Felty Helmuth and the Honeybee sisters’ aendi Bitsy. Jennifer has a degree in mathematics and a passion for Jane Austen and Shakespeare. She and her husband have been married for thirty-two years, and she has four daughters, two sons, and soon-to-be six adorable grandchildren, whom she spoils rotten.

Guest post from Jennifer Beckstrand

Anna Helmuth is starting a knitting club, but that’s not all she’s got up her sleeve. In Return to Huckleberry Hill, Anna Helmuth and Fern King decide to start a knitting club in order to introduce Anna’s grandson Reuben to some girls from Bonduel, Wisconsin. Anna is a very good knitter, with years of practice making baby blankets, scarves, mittens, and potholders. One of Anna’s scarves actually saved someone’s life, and her potholders have helped her make many a match.When I was a young teenager, I learned how to knit and crochet. My mom taught me how to sew and quilt, and I made several of my own dresses in high school. I never learned to love sewing, but it was an invaluable skill that I am so grateful to have. Now that I’m a little older, I love putting together simple quilts for baby gifts and making quilts for the local children’s hospital. There is nothing like a homemade gift to say, “I care about you.” (Photo: My family. I have five sisters and no brothers. I think my mom made every dress in this photo, including her own.)

I have a friend who is a wonderful cook. Making a delicious, beautiful meal is how she tells her family she loves them. I don’t consider myself a great cook, but I still take pride in putting something nutritious and satisfying on the table for my family.It seems to me that some of the “home arts” that our mothers and grandmothers practiced are dying out. Who knows how to tat anymore? Or embroider? Some of these arts have died because of expediency. Who doesn’t think today’s stocking choices are more comfortable and practical than knitted wool ones? Others have died out because so few people want to learn.What about you? Do you still practice any of the home arts that your grandmother did? What do you want to pass on to the next generation?

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Jennifer is giving away a $15 Amazon gift card to three lucky winners!! Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries! https://promosimple.com/ps/b3b2Disclaimer: *Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

4 comments:

Debbie, thank you for having me on your blog today, and thank you for your very kind review. The very first time I was invited into an Amish home, I was struck with how down-to-earth and "normal" these people are. They have the same hopes and dreams for their families that many of us Englischers do and they have many of the same faults and foibles as the rest of us. I learned about "underlings" in Amish communities, and it struck me that we all have to deal with pride and judging, no matter if we're Amish or Englisch. I am so glad that message struck a chord with you.

About Me

I am in my late 50s. My husband Ted and I have been married for 38 years now. We met while we were both stationed at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska. My husband stayed in the service for almost 21 years and retired as a Master Sergeant. I was able to get out when I was pregnant with our first daughter so that I could stay home with her. We have 5 grown children. Our current count on grand children is 9.